Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, you can't have any - you're a Slenderista! Join us to lose 7lbs of February flab

[BitOutOfPractice]

Welcome to the new Valentine's edition of the best thread on MN™ where we encourage and support each other to lose 7lbs in a month (though that happens so rarely maybe we need to change our USP!)

Link to the January thread here

Everyone welcome, new and old

Does it annoy anyone else on the AIBU threads where people talk about diet and exercise like there is one size fits all and what they did is gospel and if you don't do what they did then you are a big lardy mess who is a drain on the NHS and will die young and pass on food issues to there DC?

Sorry... I may be getting a little worked up!

Hairspray, can i suggest getting a skipping rope? I use mine in the evenings or weekends days that i dont go to the gym. Its great cardio and burns off calories really quick. I just brought a cheap digital one from argos. Don't feel too stupid skipping in my back garden

Sometimes it does. But there is a thread on aibu in the last few days where someone asked for advice and rejected every last bit of it. Either she wants to lose weight or she doesn't. Shrugs.

Im afraid that diet and exercise or eat less and move more is the corner stone of all weight loss. You cant possibly lose weight without reducing your calorie intake.

Fad diets tend not to work because they arent sustainable for life and soon as you stop the weight goes on again. So I would never advocate a fad diet or excluding whole food groups.

Exercise has been the corner stone of my weight loss but again it doesnt work for everyone. Those with family commitments, injury, illness, etc wouldn't be able to do as much as me.

Plus lazy people like me Niki

Not sure how people will feel about me skipping in the ladies loos a work, at least with squats and wall press ups no one can hear me being strange!

That would be hilarious skipping in the ladies in the loos 😂

I havent weighed regularly for ages. Someone broke my scales at Christmas. I know who it was but they wont own up to it.

I just broke the tape measure out and waist remains 28inches down from 32 inches last year.

I went into try on more clothes. My head hasnt caught up with my body yet. I reached for the 12 then remembered and went for a 10. But then an 8 fit better. I was chuffed with that. 😍

Size 8 Niki - amazing!

I had a good Sunday and an alright Monday so far. Stuck at home with an ill toddler - does anyone else end up eating their child's leftovers?! Their food is so much nicer than ours 😂

I've got a skipping rope somewhere, might try that. I did the 5 min hiit routine from the truth about getting fit programme today, not convinced it will do anything.

I see I'm not the only one who's messed up this weekend...

Mind you, on the way home I stopped to buy emergency supplies and also ended up with a load of chocolate and biscuits. WTF?!!?!? I haven't done that for a long time. Must be hormonal. Effing Hormones.

NB, sugary snacks have been placed lovingly in the cupboard and not yet in my mouth, so there is hope I suppose.

Nice work on the size 8 Niki. I have decided categorically that losing weight post-40 is ridiculously hard, I swear it fell off when I was 38. If you are younger take full advantage!

Im 39

Good timing. I was a size 8 at 39. Gaaah! Maintenance is a tricky art, but you have great gym habits so I'm sure you'll be fine.

Injuries messed me up come to think of it.

Ds1 made muffins in food tech so I've had 2.

It's definitely harder the older you get. Definitely.

I'm still on holiday. Still drinking beer and eating crap. It's glorious.

For me it wasnt just about losing weight. I wanted to be fitter too. I am always one to lag behind be unable to keep up, couldnt dream of doing many things.

I had fitness in my early 30s but illness put paid to it

Now though when i clench my stomach I can feel rock hard muscle there.

My shoulders have good definition.

I have lost my love handles and creases on my back completely and my thigh muscles are visibly firmer.

I did a metafit shredder class this evening and when the teacher demonstrated the exercises I thought yes, fine. I can actually do it.

There was a time I would struggle and have to walk out after a few minutes. But now to coin my old pilates teachers expression, it is a case of yes I can & yes I will!

😂😉

Are you going to stick with shakes & soups keep or is this a kind of jumpstart? Sorry you’re feeling low, I know that feeling, dieting can feel so grim & pointless...and so never ending! I’ve upped my calories a bit to see if I eat more throughout the week will it stop me loosing the plot at the weekend. I know before Christmas I was eating too much cause I was hungry from so much exercise. So a bit counterproductive. I can’t do hunger anymore, I did 5:2 for a long time and then BSD. As a result these days I cannot handle low calories or extreme hunger. I get faint and hangry. Scales just about back to Fridays number. Cold one here with a dusting of snow, not sure how much walking I’ll get in.

I think the moving about yesterday must have had SOME impact because I am slightly sore today....

10.4 egg fast lite is going well.

Tonight's dinner is stir fried cabbage kale and fennel and omelette strips

I was too scared to weigh in this morning... Hoping that by tomorrow I'll be getting back to a slightly more normal number. Is it really normal to put on such a massive amount of weight over the weekend? It took me 2 weeks to lose 6lbs, and it all went back on again over the weekend?! I get most of it is water weight, still a bit rubbish.

Hairspray Are you hungry on the egg fast lite thing? Remind me what it is just eggs and vegetables for a... week? Sounds alright!

Happy to hear you're in the right place now KOKO.

Hairspray I need to hear more about this egg fast too! Do you have a link?

58.9kg for me this morning, so maintaining.

Vital question: are you allowed coffee whilst on an egg fast?

It is based on the full egg fast, but I like my veg too much to have just eggs and fat for a week.

So I decided:

Rules are no snacks, 2.5l water a day, meals are to be eggs and green veg only with upto 1 tbsp (15 g) of oil/fat per meal, salt, pepper, broth and hot sauce are aloud.

Yesterday's Meals:
B: Coffee with milk (50 cals)
L: 1/8 Spinach frittata and a cup of broth (110 cals)
D: 2 Boiled eggs, spring greens, kale & sage in butter, salt and pepper and hot sauce (250 cal)

Today
B: Coffee with milk (50 cals)
L: 1/8 Spinach Frittata and broth (110 cals)
D: Omelette strips (2 eggs) and stir fried cabbage, fennel and kale with red pepper flakes (280 cals)

So far, not been hungry, but I eat basically nothing in the week, you could easily have more and still lose but Monday and Tuesday I still use as "Fast Days" and keep the cals as low as possible.

Later in the week I am having italian courgette and egg bake (the fat for this will be 15g of parmesan),
japanese style ramen "zoodles" with two tea stained eggs
and a bastardisation of this:www.rivercottage.net/recipes/spinach-egg-and-potato-curry - no spuds and broth instead of coconut milk and really crank up the ammount of spinach basically!

Right! I am slinking back sheepishly, and pretending January didn't happen - because in weight loss terms, it actually really didn't, I ended the month the same weight I started

If anyone is interested in the excuses reasons, they include:
-2 birthdays
-3 nasty illnesses that scuppered one of the birthdays
-2 separate people with huge amounts of work stress

But I need to lose 2 stone and get back to my wedding day weight - yesterday I had an MRI and thought I was going to have to get my wedding and engagement rings cut off (which I didn't in the end, but I was so embarrassed that I can't remove them)

And today, I am wearing I new dress that I love and thought was flattering - but then a woman on the tube pointedly looked at my tummy and offered me her seat. Sooooo - apparently not.

So - 7lb in February would see me down to 12st 8. That would be great, and I feel like I am in a good place mentally to do it. But my real goals are to get to 12st before my short break in April, and then 11st before our summer holds in August.

We had a good start yesterday (hubby is in this with me), and I'm ready to put my back into it

Happy better than that - the proper afficionados drink "bullet proof coffee" on it and swear by it! I quite enjoyed BCP, I always meant to keep it in my diet but sort of forgot. I think I was iffy about the calories since I'm not LCHF except for during the week. The egg fast is usually used by LCHFers to overcome a plateau, but quite honestly, it's just a really good way to force yourself to keep calories low.

koko you sound brilliantly positive! As you know, I think the 800 calorie diet would be a bad idea for you, but using the shapes and soups to get you through to dinner is a good way to cut your overall calories, if it works for you. That's how I do it: I eat very light during the day, keep myself going with tea, boiled eggs and a green smoothie, then have a light dinner with DH. As long as it's veg-heavy and low-carb (with a carb element for him on the side) I don't worry about the calories too much, so I'll be pretty relaxed about a good sprinkling of feta or Parmesan or whatever to keep it interesting.

So I had a weird experience last night. I went out to run a few errands and get my steps in, admittedly I hadn't realised quire how cold it was so was probably underdressed for the weather, but I figured I'd be OK since I'd be moving. I'm normally fine unless there's a freezing gale. But I didn't really warm up and was just stomping along feeling a bit miserable. When I got home at about 7pm I decided to eat something more substantial than the broth I'd planned, partly from greed and partly because I felt DEATHLY cold and decided a proper meal would be a good idea,. After about an hour I was in leggings, slippers, a jumper and under a blanket on the sofa with a hot meal in my belly but shivering so much my abdomen and jaw felt all clenched I had to decamp to the bed with tea, where I eventually warmed up. It was really weird!

Feezles I've been terrified of people thinking I'm pregnant before, you poor thing! Are you sure she didn't just think you were elderly? I almost feel sometimes like I look more pregnant now I've lost the weight, as when my belly decides to bloat to its 5-months-gone position it sticks out more than ever. I think it's partly just the way I'm built as I've never had a nice flat tummy even when I didn't have a jiggly coating of body fat - if you're small framed I guess your organs are going to be poking out all over the place. Lack of core strength is bound to be the culprit though...

Thanks, QuimReaper - but sadly no. She was about the same age as me, and at least the fat keeps away the wrinkles

I've spent more time than I should looking in a mirror in the loos today, and I think it was just the angle I was stood at. But it doesn't matter, embarrassing as it was, I actually appreciate (another) kick up the bum to do something about it!

Oh, and that does sound weird about being cold. Glad you warmed up eventually!